European Published Patent Application No. 0 560 991 describes an exhaust-gas aftertreatment device with nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter, in which, during the lean-burn operating phases, the nitrogen oxides are removed from the exhaust gas from the associated internal combustion engine by being stored in the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter. In relatively short, rich-burn operating phases of the internal combustion engine, the nitrogen oxides, which are usually stored in nitrate form in the storage material of the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter, are released again and, at the catalytic centers of the catalytic converter, which are preferably formed by precious metals, such as for example platinum, are reacted with the reducing exhaust-gas constituents in the rich exhaust gas to form nitrogen (nitrate regeneration). The recurring alternation between lean-burn and rich-burn operating phases allows effective removal of nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gases from predominantly lean-burn internal combustion engines, such as lean-burn direct injection spark-ignition engines or diesel engines.
Nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converters are gradually deactivated by the uptake of sulphur which is present in the exhaust gas and accumulates in the storage material in the form of sulphates, thus increasingly reducing the ability of the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter to store nitrogen oxides over the course of time.
German Published Patent Application No. 198 27 195 describes a method which allows nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converters which have been deactivated in this manner to be regenerated. In methods of this or similar types, the sulphur which is stored in sulphate form is released from the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter under reducing conditions and at elevated temperatures, in the form of gaseous compounds (desulphating). It is preferable for the sulphur in sulphate form to be reduced to form sulphur dioxide (SO2). Depending on the amount of sulphur which has built up in the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter and on the procedure used for desulphating, however, it is possible that some proportion of the sulphur which is in sulphate form may also be reduced to form gaseous hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Since even the tiniest concentrations of hydrogen sulphide are experienced as an extremely unpleasant smell, the emission of H2S into the environment must be avoided at all costs during desulphating of the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converters which have been deactivated by sulphur. However, conditions which are similar to those which are deliberately established during a desulphating operation may also occur during particular driving states, for example full-load enrichment, and may then likewise cause undesired emission of H2S into the environment.
German Published Patent Application No. 199 21 974 describes an exhaust-gas aftertreatment device which, in addition to a nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter, has a particle filter, upstream of which there is an oxidation catalytic converter, the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter being arranged downstream of the particle filter in the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device. With the selected arrangement of oxidation catalytic converter, particle filter and nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter, it is possible for both nitrogen oxides and particles to be effectively removed from the exhaust gas in particular from diesel engines. The oxidation catalytic converter has the function of oxidizing the nitrogen monoxide (NO) contained in the exhaust gas to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The NO2 which is formed oxidizes the particles, which predominantly include carbon and have been deposited on the particle filter, even at relatively low temperatures. However, in this case too it is necessary for the nitrogen oxide storage catalytic converter to be subjected to a desulphating procedure from time to time, and consequently, under corresponding operating states or driving states, the problem of H2S being released into the environment persists.